OpenAI lowers ads threshold

OpenAI has started selling ChatGPT ads through a new ads manager and cut the minimum campaign spend to $50,000. (openai.com) OpenAI’s ads help page says the company began testing ads in the United States on February 9, 2026, with a phased rollout. The test covers logged-in adults on ChatGPT’s Free and Go plans, not Plus, Pro, Team, or Enterprise accounts. (help.openai.com) On its advertiser page, OpenAI says ads are meant to reach people inside conversations where they are “researching and ready to take action.” The company says businesses can connect to ChatGPT users as they compare options, plan purchases, and ask follow-up questions. (openai.com) OpenAI’s February 9 policy post said the first format would place clearly labeled ads at the bottom of answers when a sponsored product or service matched the conversation. The company also said ads would not change ChatGPT’s answers and that users could dismiss an ad and give feedback. (openai.com) The lower spending floor opens the pilot to brands that could not justify the six-figure entry price attached to an experimental channel. PPC Land reported on April 13 that the threshold had been reduced from $250,000 to $50,000 as the ads manager went live. (ppc.land) OpenAI has framed ads as a way to pay for free access without turning every ChatGPT plan into an ad-supported product. Its help page says ads can support broader access and product investment while preserving the existing chat experience. (help.openai.com) The company has also drawn a line between ads and shopping results. OpenAI’s shopping help page says product results in ChatGPT Search are selected independently and “are not ads,” even when they show images, prices, and merchant links. (help.openai.com) OpenAI says ad targeting uses signals that stay inside ChatGPT rather than data shared out to advertisers. Its release notes say those signals can include the current conversation, ad interactions, and past chats or memories if ad personalization is turned on. (help.openai.com) OpenAI’s age-safety policy adds one hard limit: users the system believes are under 18 will not be shown ads. That keeps part of the audience outside the test even as the company expands inventory for marketers. (help.openai.com) For advertisers, the immediate change is practical: a self-serve buying tool and a lower minimum budget turn ChatGPT from a narrow pilot into a channel more brands can test. For OpenAI, it adds another revenue stream inside the product millions of people already use to ask what to buy next. (openai.com)